


dis      connected

by BrownieFox



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Amnesia, M/M, carlos isn't a citizen of night vale, kevin mentioned in like passing, the desert other world is mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:41:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21727708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrownieFox/pseuds/BrownieFox
Summary: Carlos and Night Vale don't always line up
Relationships: Carlos/Cecil Palmer
Comments: 2
Kudos: 35





	dis      connected

Carlos sometimes has this odd feeling that he could live in Night Vale for hundreds and hundreds of years and he wouldn’t be a part of the town.

That’s not to say that Carlos the Scientist, as well as his team, haven’t found a place for themselves. In some regards, it feels as if Night Vale has always been waiting for them, has had a spot carved out for them to arrive and slot into perfectly and the only disconnection was the scientists themselves fighting that, afraid of that. Cecil certainly helped with getting the citizens of the town to accept the new comers, and despite the hiccups along the way Night Vale has become home - more solidly than any home has ever been to Carlos. 

But Carlos was not born in Night Vale. He’s not woven into the town like Cecil is, or Josie was, or not-yet born children of the current inhabitants of the town will be.

The clearest example of this is, of course, Carlos’ time in the desert other world. The Old Oak Doors had closed without him, as if Night Vale itself had counted every one of its citizens, nodded to itself with satisfaction, and slammed the doors shut with no regard to the scientist trapped on the other side. He was as much a stranger to Night Vale as Kevin was. He imaged it could've cared less which side of the doors he had ended up on.

(Sometimes, Carlos wonders if the doors wouldn't have shut if he'd stayed in Night Vale)

(He tries not to think about it) 

Carlos was able to return when he realized what home was. Home was where Cecil was. Home was Night Vale. He’d missed both dearly, more than he’d acknowledge at first but became more and more clear, more of an ache he hadn't realized was growing in his chest. And yes, apparently Cecil had had plans to come to Carlos, and Cecil would’ve been happy with Carlos, but sometimes Carlos didn’t think Cecil would be Cecil without Night Vale. As previously said, Cecil was woven into the very fabric of Night Vale, was the grains of sands, was the screaming of the sunset. Cecil was the Voice of Night Vale, and Carlos still wasn't sure what that meant, but he knew it was Important to the town. 

The second time Carlos is reminded that he was - is - will always be - an Interloper, Cecil doesn’t remember him. 

It comes and goes in waves as the dragons threaten attacks and Old Woman Josie's health gets worse and worse and eventually she dies and the angels demand to recognized, to be considered real. 

Sometimes Cecil couldn't see Carlos. 

Sometimes Cecil can see Carlos, but can’t remember who he is. 

The episodes could last for as short as seconds, leaving Cecil clutching his head as if it’s trying to split in two, Carlos hovering worridely over him as Cecil insists 'I'm fine, I'm fine, just thought I saw something, don't worry about it.' Other times, though, it lasts for hours or days, Cecil caught in another world, in another version of himself. Night Vale is a cracked mirror, a town seen in a thousand minutely different angles.

The rest of the town is like Cecil. 

Other citizens don’t recognize Carlos. 

The layout of the town becomes unrecognizable, moving without warning but in a different way than the streets usually do, becoming entirely different towns altogether that are impossibly still Night Vale.

The sky splits open. 

And Carlos was utterly and completely unaffected by it. 

Well, completely unaffected is perhaps going too far. Carlos loses and regains his husband at random and unpredictable intervals. He wants to hug Cecil, card his hands through his hair and assure him it’s going to be okay. But it’s an impossible thing to do for a stranger, who regards Carlos with affection but is wary of any kind of intimacy with a man he doesn’t know. Carlos picks up a few things about a ‘Cal’, all of which he decides he isn’t too fond of. 

The world heals, though. 

Carlos and Cecil heal. 

Months pass. Life is good.

And then it happens again. 

Things happen to Carlos.

Things happen to Night Vale.

The problem comes when those two things don’t line up. 

Carlos sits at Big Rico’s pizza, reaching across the table and putting his hand over Cecil’s. Cecil jerks his hand away, blushing furiously. 

Carlos has had too many first dates. 


End file.
